New Years Resolutions
by purpleeyednekoyoukai
Summary: All the beybladers have New Years Resolutions. Read to find out what they are. KaiHil ReiMariah MariamMax GarMing MiguelMathilde TalOC BrooklynJulia Coming soon: KennyEmily or SalimaKane
1. HilKai

::smirks::

This came to me while I was working on Chapter Three of A Blue Christmas...hope you all like!

I figured this was a "Kai" thing...

Eh, just enjoy!

-x-x-x-x-

Mentally cursing herself, Hilary remembered that she had to talk to Kai. It was her New Years' Resolution and both she and Mariah had decided they were going to talk to their crushes. Okay...not just talk.

They had decided they were going to tell said crushes how they felt about them.

'Here goes nothing...' She thought as she stood. 'I _could _just wait until everyone leaves, but what if he leaves before everyone else? Ah, screw it!'

Hilary sighed as she approached the stoic captain. The ball had dropped nearly five seconds ago to commemorate the beginning of the New Year, and she wanted to speak to him.

She tapped him on the shoulder, not realizing that she had the attention of everyone, or that Kai's Russian teammates were smirking.

He spun around, and the next thing she knew, her first kiss was being stolen from her. Dazed, she sank into his vacated seat as he stood and smirked.

"New Year's Resolution," he informed them all before his scarf flew out of sight behind him.

"EH?!" Hilary yelled.

The Russians smirked and returned to poker.

Everyone else watched the two parties, glancing from one to the other. If they didn't know any better, they could have sworn they knew Kai was going to do that.

If their identical smirks were any indicator...

-x-x-x-x-

OWARI!

It's short, but I like it...

And it's 12:09 AM.

Ah well...

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!!!!

Emma


	2. MariahRei

New Years Resolutions  
Chapter Two  
Mariah's New Years Resolution

XD Enjoy!!!

I decided I wanted Mariam to have a separate chapter...aaaaall to herself.

-x-x-x-x-

.:Mariah:.

The pinkette sighed softly as she looked up at the full moon adorning the midnight colored sky.

'It's almost New Years...and that means...' Mariah gulped softly. 'I've got to tell Rei...'

"Mariah?" Spinning around, Mariah almost fell off her perch on the porch railing. The only thing that stopped her was someone's grip on her upper arm.

"T-thanks." She murmured shakily, then looked up to see her savior...then paled.

"You okay?" Rei inquired, startled by her sudden paling.

"Yeah." Mariah mumbled. "...um...can you let go of my arm now?" Rei's eyes widened and he quickly released his grip on her arm, dropping it like it was a hot brick.

"Happy New Years, Mariah." Rei mumbled, biting his lip, about to say something more before deciding not to and turned around to walk away.

Every fiber in Mariah's being was screaming at her to call to him, stop him--this was her chance!--but she didn't. The thought of rejection scared her too much.

Sighing softly, knowing Hilary was going to chew her out in the morning, Mariah turned and resumed her gazing at the moon. She was so caught up in that and angsting over not confessing to Rei, she failed to notice another person approaching her.

"Mariah?"

For the second time that night, Mariah had the unique sensation of almost falling off the porch.

"What now?" She groaned once she was safely back on the solid railing.

"This happened earlier?" A familiar voice wanted to know, amusement obvious in their tone.

"Yes." Mariah growled.

"I take it Rei talked to you." Lee tried to verify with a grin.

"He did." She acknowledged stiffly.

"Then why are you so pissy?"

"What's that supposed to mean?!" The pinkette shot back angrily.

"Oh...so he chickened out..." Lee shook his head. "Too bad." Without another word, Lee walked off, leaving his sister with a lot more to think about.

'Okay, now I'm curious.' She decided and hopped from the railing onto the porch. Just a glance at the room where the t.v. was told her Rei wasn't there, so she continued looking. After a half an hour of fruitless searching, she was about ready to give up before she caught a flash of red in a nearby tree. 'Why is it always a tree?' She groaned mentally before walking closer. It was well-known that she feared heights.

"Mariah?" A stunned voice from up in the tree inquired.

"Rei? You're up there?"

"Yeah." He mumbled.

"Um...can you come down?"

"Sure," he murmured and came down in a half-fall she envied.

"Can we...walk?" Her reply was Rei's almost invisible nod as both started walking alongside a stream. They walked in silence together for a few moments.

"Whatever you're going to say..." Startled, Mariah turned to look at Rei. He had stopped, and his bangs were covering his eyes.

"I was...I like you." She managed to mumble, barely audible.

"W-what?" Rei pressed.

"I like you." Mariah managed to whisper loud enough for him to hear.

"You like...me?" Blinking, Rei stood there thunderstruck. A quick nod was all Mariah allowed herself before walking back towards the house.

"Wait! Wait!"

Mariah stopped, but didn't turn around.

"I like you." Rei admitted, beet red.

"W-what?!" Mariah spun around to face a sheepishly grinning Rei.

"I was going to tell you...but when you got mad at me..." He trailed off.

"I was mad because I was nervous...my New Years Resolution was to tell you I liked you..."

"Kai and I had the same resolution...well..."

"No way! Kai likes Hil?!"

"Yep." Rei grinned.

"That is so weird..." Mariah giggled.

"Well...Max's is to tell Mariam he likes her..."

"This is just..." Mariah stopped, unable to stop herself from giggling.

"I wonder what Kai did..."

"I think we'll find out tomorrow." The pinkette grinned.

"What now?"

"Mistletoe."

"Huh?" Rei managed to choke out; Mariah pointed up, causing Rei's eyes to almost pop out of his head.

"Pucker up." Cackled Lee, Kevin and Gary, who were up in the trees above them, having tied to mistletoe to the branches.

"Are you serious?!" The fuming girl growled.

"Dead serious." Kevin smirked.

Rei and Mariah just looked at one another, gulping.

"Well?!" Kevin was getting impatient.

Both took a deep breath before slowly leaning in towards one another...

Closer, closer...even more closer...Their lips gently touched.

They pulled apart after only a few seconds, but both were grinning. Kevin made a few faces before shimmying down the tree and heading back to the house. Lee and Gary followed, grumbling about intricate plans being screwed up.

"So..." Rei shifted from foot to foot, still slightly nervous.

"Shut up and kiss me." Mariah demanded, jabbing him in the chest with her finger. Blushing faintly, Rei complied.

-x-x-x-x-

I had too much fun with this one...

And I'm stuck on chapter two of Trouble In Paradise, so don't expect an update for a bit.

Ah well...

Hope you liked!

Mariam and Max's will be coming out soon!

After that, I'll take requests (if anyone wants to make any). It has to be for a pairing in Beyblade, though.

If I don't get any, I'm doing one for Garland and Ming Ming.

After that, Salima and Kane.

Then what's-his-name and Mathilde...ARGH! WHAT IS HIS NAME?!

Eh, later...  
Emma


	3. MariamMax

Official Chapters in order of coming out:

Hilary/Kai  
Mariah/Rei  
Mariam/Max  
Ming Ming/Garland (sorry for those who do not like...but I think the two look good together xD)  
Mathilde/Miguel  
Emily/Kenny  
Salima/Kane  
Julia/Brooklyn (I think...)  
Tala/OC (sorry folks...if I even get around to this. My writing schedule is swamped!...that and any and all yaoi stories I've attempted have A: been given up on or B: dead in the water)

Muahaha...and now, onto Max and Mariam!!

-x-x-x-x-

.:Mariam:.

Said girl in question was currently holed up in her room. She didn't even want to THINK about what had happened earlier that night, but her traitorous mind drifted back to it again...

_"C'mooooon, Mariam!" Josef whined, trying to push his older sister off the couch. "The couch is guys ONLY!"_

_"Yeah. And unless--" Dunga's agreement was silenced by a swift pillow to the face. A huge row started between the three as Ozuma watched calmly from his chair; Max bit his lip nervously and headed to the kitchen to get a drink. The only sane teen in the room raised a questioning brow at the blond's abrupt departure, but shrugged mentally as he watched his three teammates go at it. Max had just returned when Mariam stood huffily and began to storm off; the two collided and Max's Dr. Pepper drenched him. Mariam froze for a moment, gaping at the soda-covered boy, before fleeing to her room._

0x0x0x0

"What was that all about?" Dunga grumbled as he helped Max clean up the Dr. Pepper.

"What was what all about?" Josef questioned as he came back from throwing out some of the paper towels. "Hey, where's my sis?"

"That's what I was talking about, you evil munchkin!" Dunga grumbled as he threw the paper towels he had just used out. Max had been directed to the shower by Ozuma and was currently getting cleaned up; the captain sighed quietly and hoped the girl would return from her room before the ball dropped. It was tradition that the team watched it fall together.

0x0x0x0

The bluette was sulking in her room; her brain demanded that she stop being stupid and go down, apollogize and watch the ball drop; her heart demanded that she hide and hope she never saw Max again...but also vehemently protested that. Well, she liked him, so it should. A knock at the door pulled her from her thoughts; she hesitantly opened it to find Ozuma.

"Downstairs." He commanded and moved aside; she sighed and complied, knowing full well that he would stand there, staring at her, until she did. As she walked past the porch, she could have sworn she heard someone call to her. Another sigh escaped her as she decided it would do no harm to back track and check.

"Mariam?" Max, his hair still damp from showering, stood on the porch. "Uhm...can I talk to you?"

Swallowing proved difficult, as she just found that her mouth was dry. "Sure." She approached. "What did you want to--" Soft, gentle lips covered hers; for a moment she was startled, then she responded. Both were so wrapped up in their kiss that they failed to notice their audience. They did notice them, however, when two of the three cat called; that caused them to break apart.

"Get over here, you gremlins!" A blushing Mariam yelled, tearing off after her fleeing brother and Dunga; that left a crimson Max on the porch with Ozuma.

He raised an eyebrow. "New Years' Resolution?"

Said blushing blond nodded as crashes echoed from inside. The other blader shook his head, hoping that the two boys would survive, for one and for another, that they wouldn't make a habit of interrupting whatever time Mariam and Max spent together. She was a handful without being homicidal.

-x-x-x-x-

Me: Nyaha. This one's aaaaaall Kae's.  
Kae: :on the ground, shuddering and twitching: I...inspired...FLUFF :TWITCH:  
Me: ...see? :sweatdrop: Anyway, I have an idea for Garland and Ming Ming now, so...  
Kae: EGADS! NO MORE! :dives in my closet:  
Me: ...she inspired that one too. Poor thing. :goes back to typing:

Emma


	4. Ming MingGarland

And now for the next installment:

Ming Ming/Garland

Let the fun begin. :bwahahaha:

"Talking"  
'Thinking'  
-x-x-x-x- beginning/end border  
0x0x0x0 change of scene

(whoops. knew I forgot SOMETHING in that last chapter XD)

-x-x-x-x-

.:Ming Ming:.

The popstar sighed as she sat at the edge of the party; that bit with Kai and Hilary had occured mere minutes ago and everyone was still buzzing. To be honest, she didn't begrudge the girl her kiss or her interest...but she was jealous. All she wanted was the one guy she had liked for a while to notice her. Was that too much to ask? A small sigh escaped her and she decided she wanted to relax on the porch, away from the questioning glances she was getting. Without a word to her teammates, she stood and left, retreating to the porch.

0x0x0x0

Brooklyn frowned as she walked away before turning to Garland. "You know, now might be a good time." The carrot top commented. Crusher and Mystel looked between him and their captain, confused; said captain scowled but followed their female teammate.

"What's going on?" The Egyptian questioned.

A secretive smile crossed Brooklyn's face. "You'll see."

Unfortunately, a pair of green eyes other than Brooklyn's own watched Garland follow Ming Ming...and the owner of the eyes was NOT pleased.

0x0x0x0

"Ming Ming...?" Garland questioned as he approached.

She turned, startled. "Hm?"

"...uh..." Garland's mind blanked when he saw what both were now standing under.

"What?" The girl questioned; he pointed up and it was then she saw the mistletoe. "Uhm..." Both stared at one another awkwardly before both leaned closer, their lips touching. (1) They pulled back, both flushing slightly, when the door flew open; an irate Daichi stood there.

"You just HAD to kiss her before I could confess, didn't you?!" Shouted the irate midget.

"Not my fault you move too slow!" Garland shot back and a shouting match began.

Ming Ming sighed yet again. Now she couldn't decide which was worse: no attention or too much attention.

Hilary walked out onto the porch, watched for a moment, then turned to Ming Ming. "You too?" The other girl nodded and both shook their heads as the shouting match ceased. Kai had walked out onto the porch and separated the two before directing them to the beydish.

"This should be...interesting." He commented as a fierce beybattle began.

"Didn't you disappear into the depths of the dojo?" Hilary questioned.

"I was reminded by an irate redhead that kissing you didn't count as telling you I liked you." The Russian teen muttered. Hilary could only gape at him and open and close her mouth, an admirable impression of a fish out of water; Ming Ming almost fell off the railing. Both of them liked her?! A resounding crash came from the beydish and she sighed. At least the new year would be interesting...

-x-x-x-x-

(1) - Kindly note that Ming Ming is sitting on the railing, so...Garland doesn't have to bend down.

The idea of having Daichi like Ming Ming was inspired/hinted at by hil2378 in a review and for that, you have my thanks.

Kae: :not here:  
Me: uh, yeah...she kinda had to be put in the hospital because the fluff gave her seizures...unfortunately for her, there's yet ANOTHER chapter...  
Kae: :from hospital: NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!  
Me: ...whoops. I just came up with another one.  
Kae: :SEIZURE:

Prepare for two more, lol.  
Emma


	5. MathildeMiguel

Wheee, now it's time for:  
Mathilde/Miguel (yes, the spelling is weird. I like it though, so...it stays XD)

"Talking"  
'Thinking'

-x-x-x-x- beginning/end border  
0x0x0x0 change of scene

-x-x-x-x-

.:Mathilde:.(1)

The pink haired sprite of a girl was currently decorating a cake with white swirls. Her pink eyes were narrowed slightly in concentration as she began to put the finishing touches on her cake; it now resembled the ball that was due to drop in a few hours. (2) The front door opening and closing caused her to look up; Miguel entered and he was brushing a light dusting of snow off as he entered the kitchen. The warm smile he gave her caused her to blush and she hurriedly turned back to her cake to cover it up.

"Hey, Mathilde..."

"Um, yes?" She replied as she carefully covered her cake and put it in the fridge.

"Would you like to go for a walk with me? The snow just stopped and..."

"Really?" The pink haired girl spun around, her face lighting up.

"Yeah...I know you've always loved the snow...so..."

"Let me go get my jacket and I'll meet you at the front door!" She chirped happily before dashing upstairs to get it. Miguel, fidgeting nervously, returned to the front door.

0x0x0x0

When Mathilde dashed up the stairs, she passed Aaron and Claude. Both grinned but there was something about their grins that set her on edge...it was like they knew something she didn't. Shivering to herself, she hurried on, snatched her jacket and met Miguel at the door.

"Shall we?" She gave him a grin; he nodded, glad she was oblivious to the slight blush that her smile caused. Both headed out into the wintery wonderland and wandered down the street to the park, talking and enjoying themselves. After what felt like no time at all, Mathilde began to feel chilled and as they passed a clock, she realized that they had been wandering around for an hour. Shivering slightly, she pulled her jacket closer and almost jumped when Miguel hesitantly slipped an arm around her and pulled her closer to him as they walked. They paused for a moment under a street light, grinning shyly at each other, when Mathilde looked up. "Look!" Miguel glanced up briefly but returned his gaze to her in time to see a snowflake land on her nose.

"...uhm...Mathilde?" He cursed mentally as the telltale blush blossomed across his cheeks.

"Yes?" She gave him a grin, blushing as well; he couldn't tell if it was from the cold or...something else.

"I like you." He stated, his cheeks reddening further.

Hers were as red, if not more. "R-really?" He nodded. "I..." She pressed her index fingers together; it was a nervous gesture she no longer consciously thought about. "I like you too..." Mathilde was then pulled into a hug by Miguel as the snow fell around them; it was quiet, almost like their own private wonderland.

He released her from the hug and they continued walking; this time, though, they were holding hands. "Do you mind if I...?"

In response, Mathilde blushed before pointing up.

After he spotted the holiday plant hanging from the tree branch, he couldn't contain a grin. "I guess we have to either way then, huh?"

She giggled and he leaned closer, gently pressing his lips to hers.

0x0x0x0

"So how's our favorite couple?" Aaron asked as the two, having shed their jackets and wet boots, entered the room, claimed the couch and cuddled up under a blanket. Claude smiled, vanished into the kitchen and returned with two cups of cocoa; he placed them before his friends and claimed one of the two arm chairs in the room.

"That's why you guys had those smiles!" Mathilde burst out; the two in question grinned as Miguel glanced between the three of them.

The rest of the long night was spent talking, giggling (Mathilde), laughing (Aaron, Miguel and Claude), telling jokes, drinking cocoa, and then, once the ball dropped, eating Mathilde's delicious marble cake.

Miguel smirked before tapping Mathilde on the nose, then standing and heading to the kitchen to get more cocoa.

Mathilde turned to her remaining two teammates, who burst out laughing simultaneously. Confused, she put a hand to her nose to find icing.

"Miguel!"

That only made the two who were laughing crack up and almost fall off the furniture onto the floor. The blonde in question returned, cocoa in hand.

"Yes?"

She stood, marched over to him, and tapped him on the nose. The two observers then did fall off the furniture, as Miguel now had a huge glob of icing on HIS nose.

-x-x-x-x-

(1) - yes, I know it should be an "a"...but I like "e" better.

(2) - I can't really tell what color her eyes are in the one good picture I found of her, but they LOOK pink...so don't kill me if they aren't.

Thanks to everyone who told me what his name was. :sweatdrop: I'm BAD with names...that, and I haven't actually SEEN G-Rev...so...yeah. -.-;;

I know, short and kinda corny. Oh well...I liked it. ...although I will admit it's a LOT shorter than I imagined.


	6. TalaMei

Okay...the official order is dead.

But that's because I came up with a way to tie in three the remaining four in if I do the pairings out of order.

Prepare for karaoke! ...wait, that's next chapter.

"Talking"  
'Thinking'  
-x-x-x-x- beginning/end border  
0x0x0x0 change of scene

This chapter:  
Tala/OC

-x-x-x-x-

Kai, Ming Ming and Hilary stood by or sat on the railing and watched the furious beybattle from a safe distance; all three were wary of the mistletoe hanging up nearby and took care to move away from it.

"That reminds me..." Kai was smirking as he looked up at the mistletoe.

"Reminds you?" Hilary questioned as Ming Ming blinked.

"Tala's got the same New Years' Resolution..." His smirk widened.

"Who does he like?" Ming Ming inquired; Kai nodded to the girl who was almost around the corner of the dojo's porch.

0x0x0x0

Yumei, alias Mei, was more roller blader than beyblader, but she knew enough to teach the kids of her hometown the basics that would enable them to move on in the sport. She was content with that but had accidentally run into Tyson while roller blading down the street...literally. He had gotten separated from the rest of the team, and was lost; he knew they were going to leave in twenty minutes, but he just couldn't find them. Mei had offered to help and was then on viewed as a friend by the blue haired blader...thus the reason she now sat on the porch of the dojo; she had been invited to join the festivities, but had sought refuge outside once the ball dropped. The black haired and blue eyed girl was quiet, calm and not the biggest fan of noise, which explained her exodus to the porch.

0x0x0x0

Kai nodded to the two girls before slipping inside and approaching the four other Russian teens, all of whom were still playing poker. Ian was the first to spot him and he smirked; Spencer and Bryan glanced up questioningly. Tala, who had realized that Kai was standing there, was now determinedly looking anywhere but him.

"Your turn, Tala." Was all he stated before returning to the porch; the other three stared at the redhead, confused. Said redhead stood and began his search for aforementioned girl. After about twenty minutes, he decided to take a break and get some fresh air, at which point he found the girl he had been searching for on the porch.

"Mei?" He questioned, swallowing spit and mentally promising to kill the onlookers if they laughed.

"Hm?" She turned obligingly, her eyes meeting his. 'Why's he so...fidgety?'

"...I'm assuming you know about the blading tournament almost all of us participated in."

Poleaxed, the girl stared for a moment. "Tyson mentioned it, yeah."

"Well...whoever lost had to--"

"You couldn't've lost." Mei cut him off. "You're way too good."

The corners of his mouth twitched as he fought a grin; he hadn't expected her to say that. "Due to the fact that I did lose a few matches, I have to ..."

"Do the penalty too?"

His reply was a nod.

"Man, that sucks." She gave him a sympathetic grin, then frowned. "But what do I have to do with that?" Hilary, who was the closest, couldn't help but crack up; Ming Ming, who also heard, began to laugh as well. Kai turned his attention to the beybattle...or appeared to, as this would definitely be a conversation that could be used to blackmail Tala in the future.(1)

"The 'penalty' is that we have to tell the person we like that ...we like them." He muttered. She stared and then almost fell off the railing herself; he hurriedly grabbed onto her and halted her almost descent. While both were still shaken, Kai tossed something at them; Tala, predictably, caught it and the two looked up. Tala now held a tiny sprig of mistletoe over their heads.

He shrugged and leaned in to gently press his lips to hers; she responded enthusiastically. After a few minutes, Kai grabbed another piece of mistletoe and chucked it at them.

"Get a room!" He growled; both separated.

"Does this mean...?" Tala questioned; she nodded, grinning despite her blush.

Hilary sighed. "Who's next?"

"Brooklyn." Tala and Kai stated in unison.

-x-x-x-x-

(1): hoboy...Kai's evil streak is back X3

This is so flippin SHORT...I think, save the one with Kai and Hilary, this is the SHORTEST...

There will a bonus chappie, as saturnz-moonlit-beauty requested a TalaJulia chapter (funfun).  
I'm still accepting requests, so feel free to make them.

Okay, for the record:

KaiHil, GarlandMingMingDaichi, TalaOC: the dojo  
ReiMariah: their village in China  
MaxMariam, MiguelMathilde: somewhere in the U.S.A.

Upcoming:  
BrooklynJulia, KennyEmily, KaneSalima: the dojo

There might've been some confusion as to what the HECK was going on. Well, that's where everyone is/the story takes place at.

Kae: :seizure:  
Me: ...yeah. she's just...she doesn't handle fluff well  
Kae: :worse seizure as soon as the word "fluff" is mentioned:  
Me: ...and it doesn't help that she keeps inspiring all the fluff.  
Arin: :calls again: How come I can't chainsaw you through the phone?  
Me: because it would defy the law of physics...and probably the laws of time and space too...  
Arin: BUT YOU HIT ME WITH A FRYING PAN THROUGH A PHONE!  
Me: ...oh. yeah. well, I get to break them occasionally.  
Immi: :takes the phone: because you're our creator and can do whatever you want to us, etc. right?  
Me: ...pretty much.  
Arin: FINE! Screw the light parade, I'm coming back!  
Kae: oh, hell no. :breaks out of the hospital: NO MORE FLUFF! :runs to Florida to keep Arin down there:

...maybe I should get a few more muses, seeing as my present ones tend to run off to Disney World at the worst times...

Emma


	7. BrooklynJulia

Prepare for karaoke! ('cuz that's actually this chapter! XD)

"Talking"  
'Thinking'  
-x-x-x-x- beginning/end border  
0x0x0x0 change of scene

This chapter:

Brooklyn/Julia

-x-x-x-x-

Brooklyn gulped mentally as Garland, Daichi, Kai and Tala all approached where he was seated. "Yes?"

"Your turn." All stated flatly.

Another mental gulp ensued but he nodded and stood; to their surpised, he headed for the porch.

"Uhm, Mei?" He questioned.

"Hm? Oh, right!" The girl hopped off the railing and darted inside; he followed at a more sedate pace before heading towards the mock-stage that had been erected.

Hilary and MingMing both gave him thumbs up, though MingMing also gave him a wink. Mei grinned encouragingly as she half-led, half-dragged the female member of F Sangre (1) into the room.

"What're we doing?" Julia hissed in the younger girl's ear as she was directed to a seat beside Hilary. Both her and said pop star had headed in once they found out that Brooklyn's confession was next.

"I'm not too sure..." Mei replied, feigning ignorance. She hadn't found out what the "resolutions" were until Tala told her; she had been asked before hand by Brooklyn to bring Julia to the room where the karaoke was when he asked, though. There was nothing sinister or suspicious about the request, so she had agreed. At the moment, though, she felt bad for Julia. 'Well, if she didn't like being put on the spot, would she be a beyblader?'

"HEY!" Tyson yelled, catching everyone's attention. "Brooklyn's gonna sing!" That, sure enough, attracted the attention of EVERYONE in the dojo; even the Russians in the far corner were now watching.

"Tysonnnn." Hilary groaned; MingMing palmed her forehead. A small sigh escaped Mei as the visibly tense Brooklyn walked up on stage.

"Think he'll manage it?" MingMing chewed on her lower lip nervously; she had no problem singing in front of crowds, but Brooklyn was notoriously shy when it came to singing in public.

"Couldn't say." Garland, who had taken a seat behind her, flashed her a quick grin. That re-ignited the fight with Daichi; the two were bickering quietly.

A gulp audible only to Hilary, MingMing and Mei came from the stage as the redhead turned to pick up the microphone. He then turned back around so he faced the audience but he appeared to have frozen.

"Poor guy." Hilary mumbled sympathetically.

"You can do it, NY." Mei and MingMing whispered in unison; that was a nickname that he had acquired the time the beybladers had been let loose in New York City.

That seemed to jolt him out of it; he flipped the switch to turn the machine on and picked out his song. The background music to "Crush" by David Archeluta began to play. The blader took a deep breath, opened his mouth and began to sing. (2)

0x0x0x0

At the song's end, he extended a hand off stage to Julia; in it was a pristine red rose. She flushed slightly but accepted it and tucked it behind her ear after she had ascertained that it had no thorns.

"D'you...d'you want to go out with me?" Brooklyn questioned, his flush pronounced even after he had slipped offstage and out of the spotlight.

Julia blushed a bit more. "Yes."

Both had shy grins adorning their faces but their moment was ruined by MingMing, Hilary and Mei grabbing onto Julia while they jumped up and down, "squee"-ing. Julia's face was now bright red but she joined the jumping as well.

"That was soooo cute!" MingMing cried.

"Romantic!" Mei agreed, bouncing along with the other two.

"To the Nth degree!" Hilary added with a giggle.

That earned Brooklyn dagger-like stares from the other males who had already confessed.

Raul, who had been kept busy in the other room by Kenny, Zeo and Dizzi, entered to the girls' jumping squee-fest. When he put together what had happened in his absence, his eyes narrowed and he joined the other four giving him death glares.

-x-x-x-x-

(1) - Iunno if any of you take Spanish, but "sangre", in Spanish, means blood. Freaky, ne?

(2) - I was pondering what song to use for this for FOREVER...but then it occurred to me that the song I had been listening to for the past ten minutes would do xD

Yep, really short. However...I may be making this more of a story-story, as I just came up with an idea to do so...either way, I make no promises.

Catcha next chappie!  
Emma


	8. KennyEmily SalimaKane

"Talking"  
'Thinking'  
-x-x-x-x- beginning/end border  
0x0x0x0 change of scene

This chapter:

Kane/Salima and Kenny/Emily

-x-x-x-x-

.:Meanwhile, on the roof of the dojo...:.

"Look, there's Capricorn." Salima pointed to the constellation she had been searching for since the two had taken temporary refuge on the roof.

Kane grinned slightly. "I never could find my astrological sign..."

"Yeah, Pisces has yet to be found by me." The redhead grinned before fishing around in her bag.

Kane blinked and sat up slightly. "What's up?"

"That just reminded me." The girl sat all the way up. "Dang, where is it?"

"Did you lose it in there?" He teased.

She frowned. "I don't know how I could have...aha!" A wrapped parcel was removed from her bag.

"I thought we all agreed we weren't--"

"This isn't for Christmas, it's for your birthday." She then handed it to him. "Happy belated birthday, Kane. I would've given it to you sooner but I had to work out how to put the finishing touches on it..."

Puzzled, the boy opened it carefully; a handmade scarf that was a deeper shade of green that accented his hair slid out of the remaining wrapping paper to pool on his lap. "...how did you manage to wrap this?"

"It took a while..." Salima mumbled. "'Member how it took me forever to pack?"

Her companion frowned, recalling; it had been somewhat suspicious, as the girl rarely cared what she wore. "That's what you were doing?"

She grinned sheepishly. "Yep."

"Thank you." He then carefully wound it around his neck; it was soft and plush, but not fluffy enough to look ridiculous. His thanks earned him a grin. Both lay back down and watched the stars twinkle over head until they heard "HEY!" followed by "Brooklyn's gonna sing!".

"...didn't we have to plead, beg and half-force him on stage that one time in New York?" The nonplussed redhead questioned, now worrying for the other redhead's sanity.

Kane, instead of reassuring her, bit his lip; Brooklyn had come to him to discuss his plan and it was from that that Kane had come up with HIS idea.

"Kane? Is something wrong?"

"No, no..." 'I'm such a chicken! What the hell? Even Brooklyn's able to face his fears--in front of almost every pro in the league--and I can't even confess to Salima alone?' He sighed slightly. "W-well..."

She immediately checked his temperature; she had NEVER heard him stutter before.

"Stop that." He mumbled crossly; her reaction had caused a blush to bloom across his cheeks.

"Are you feeling okay?"

"Yes, thank you for asking." He mentally smacked himself for going all formal on her, as she now looked slightly hurt.

0x0x0x0

_"Hello." He greeted stiffly as Salima walked in; Gouki and Jim blinked, as they disliked formalities. (1)_

_"Hi." She returned, slightly poleaxed._

_"My name is Kane." He offered her a hand to shake, movements still stiff._

_She accepted it and shook his hand firmly but gently. "Nice ta meetcha. I'm Salima."_

_"A pleasure." He stated and went to resume his seat._

_"Man, what's with that guy?" Jim muttered._

_"Chill, Jim." Salima told him. "He's probably just awkward around other teens."_

_"Yeah?" Gouki raised an eyebrow._

_"Being super polite is a way to cover it up." The redhead stated; he had then felt the two guys give him measuring looks._

0x0x0x0

Despite that, when it came time to try to be a team, they had given him a chance; he knew it was because Salima had stuck up for him.

"D'you know about the tournament?"

She blinked. "You mean the one all the guys participated in?"

"Yeah...you see...I like you!" He ended up spitting it out instead of explaining about the tournament.

"I like you too." Salima grinned. "You're a great captain."

Kane nodded, smiling slightly; he knew full well if he attempted a larger grin, she would see through it.

There was a sudden cacophony of squeals from below; that gave him an idea.

"Let us see what is going on, shall we?"

Salima nodded. 'What's wrong with him?' She wondered as she followed him back inside. 'He went all formal on me again...'

0x0x0x0

.:On the formerly vacated porch...:.

Emily sat on the top step, staring blankly out into the dismal landscape. Today was not her day for numerous reasons; the chief among them were: one, Max--her crush--was confessing to someone who wasn't her and two, no one had remembered her birth day. True, there was nothing she wanted...but some acknowledgement would be nice. Even just an anonymous birth day card would've been good...

"Hey."

The redhead turned to find Kenny approaching.

"What?"

"Are...are you okay?" The boy hesitantly sat next to her; close, but not close enough to be awkward or uncomfortable.

"Just go away, Kenny." She mumbled. The last thing she needed was for him to pity her.

"...alright."

For whatever reason, hearing his footsteps fade away only made her feel worse than before.

-x-x-x-x-

(1) - I think it's spelled "Goki" but...I got into the habit with "Yo**u**ko" and "Ryo**u**" so...it doesn't look right without the "u" xD

Okay, so...obviously, I have a new plan :evil grin:

This is gonna end up more like an actual fic now, but...there will still be the TalaJulia chapter, so no worries.

Anyway, the next installment will be up soon...(and you all know my definition of 'soon')

Catcha next update!  
Emma


End file.
